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Better the Devil You Know
Better the Devil You Know is the lead single from Kylie Minogue's third album "Rhythm of Love." The single was written & produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. It was released by PWL & Mushroom Records on April 30, 1990. This is known as the song that re-invented Kylie to a more sexual appeal as her previous albums were presented with her "girl next door" persona while her music onwards present an independent approach. Song Background "Better the Devil You Know" was written by Stock, Aitken and Waterman (who also were the only producers and songwriters of Kylie's two albums after her debut). However, this album featured additional production by some minor producers. When the song wasn't first in the making, Kylie had announced she would be leaving the cast of the TV series "Neighbours" to focus on her music career. After this, many fans of her role were upset and sadden by the leaving. Then, Stock, Aitken & Waterman lead member Peter Waterman said he was telling Mike Stock that Kylie had stopped going out with her Neighbours co-star Jason Donovan and said she was dating INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. Waterman then commenting saying "how it was the devil you know as they feared their lives were going to be hell as a consequence." Musically, the song is a dance-pop song which features influenced elements of electronica, pop, Europop and synthpop music. According to tabs.ultimate-guitar.com, the first verse features notes spanning from A-C#m-D-D2-Dm-E-Bm-D. When the song reaches the chorus, the song spans from A-F#m-A-D, and repeats every line. When it reaches the bridge, the songs chords span from A-F#m-A-F in each line. According to William Baker (a writer and one of Kylie Minogue's best friend who wrote the book "Kylie: La La La") said: "The song also featured a more mature sound, a more polished production and a vocal that was less layered than before." He then carried on saying about Kylie's persona as the Queen of Disco and Princess of Pop saying: "The track transferred well onto the dance-floor and heralded a long reign for Kylie as the new queen of disco... a pop princess." Music Video The music video for "Better the Devil You Know" was directed by Paul Goldman and was filmed in Melbourne. The video caused some controversy as it presented Kylie in a much more mature image than videos from earlier years. In the video, Kylie can be seen dancing more suggestively than in her previous efforts. At the time she was dating INXS singer Michael Hutchence, she is wearing one of his rings in the clip, a large silver "M." His mother, Patricia Glassop (a make-up artist) did the make-up. The video remains a major milestone in Kylie's career for it was the birth of a more experimental and sexual side of her. Critical Reception "Better the Devil You Know" is one of Kylie's most famous singles and ever since its release, it has received positive reviews from most music critics. Chris True from Allmusic highlighted the song as an album standout. He reviewed her debut compilation Greatest Hits and said the song was "absolutely perfect for the unknowing." Johnny Loftus from Allmusic had highlighted it as an album standout on her compilation Greatest Hits. True then highlighted it from her compilation album Greatest Hits 87–97 as an album standout as well as a highlight from Ultimate Kylie. However, Tim Sendra did not highlight it from her 2012 compilation The Best of Kylie Minogue, but said "it's nice to hear 1990's "Better the Devil You Know" next to 2010's "All the Lovers" and realize that Kylie has never been less than a perfect pop star." Jason Shawahn from About.com said along with ("What Do I Have To Do" and "Wouldn’t Change A Thing") "are nothing if not pop masterpieces." Hunter Felt from PopMatters said along with "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" and "Shocked" are pure pop moments. He then described it "as almost soulful rave-ups." Song Legacy "Better the Devil You Know" has become an all-time favourite amongst many people and is often considered a 1990s classic. In 1998, Australian record company Mushroom Records re-issued the song as part of their "25th Anniversary Celebrations" album. The re-issue reached #59 on the Australian ARIA Charts in 1998. The song was featured in the Richard Grieco movie "If Looks Could Kill." It was also heard in an Australian Coca Cola commercial starring Kylie in 1990. Chart Performance "Better the Devil You Know" became Kylie's fifth non-consecutive top two single, being blocked by Adamski's "Killer." The song stayed at number two for two consecutive weeks. The single spent a total of 10 weeks in the chart and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and sold 329,000 copies there. In Kylie's native Australia, the song debuted at five on the week end of June 10, 1990. The song eventually peaked at number four on the charts and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the chart. The song was then certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales exceeding 35,000 copies. In France, the song debuted at number thirty-eight and after weeks on the chart it peaked at number thirteen for a sole week. The song stayed in the charts for a total of sixteen weeks. In the Netherlands, the song debuted at number ninety-six. It was very successful in that country, and peaked at number sixteen on that chart. It spent a total of thirteen weeks on the chart. It was very successful on the Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders) where it debuted at number twenty-eight. The song then rose and peaked at number five, becoming one of Kylie's most successful singles in that country. It stayed in the charts for a total of sixteen weeks. The song was generally moderate in other European countries where it peaked inside the top thirty in countries including Austria, Denmark and Switzerland. The song also topped the charts in Israel, number four in Malaysia and eleven in Spain. SaveSave Category:Songs Category:Singles